The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
In the past few decades, drum triggers have increasingly been used with acoustic drums for live performances and studio recordings. In many instances, drum triggers can overcome potential problems with using microphones and can allow a drummer to have more control over the sound of the drum. In effect, the addition of a drum trigger to an acoustic drum converts the acoustic drum to an electric drum pad.
The '570 patent is directed to a new and improved drum trigger that addresses the problems associated with the prior art as discussed in the Background of that application.
In addition to drum instruments, drummers use a variety of cymbal and related instruments that also require triggering in the context of a complete electronic drum kit solution. Prior attempts to trigger cymbals suffer due to poor mechanisms and manners of attaching the trigger device to the cymbal. Often these devices suffer from ineffective sensitivity due to mounting method used or to failure of the mounting method and loss of triggering altogether or need to re-attach trigger to the cymbal. Repeated failures are not only undesired but also cause the devices to degrade over time requiring replacement thus adding to cost.
US Pat. App. Publication 2012/0118130, ELECTRONIC CYMBAL ASSEMBLY WITH MODULAR SELF-DAMPENING TRIGGERING SYSTEM, (Field) discloses a “choke system to stop triggering . . . basically as an on and off switch” for use with a hi-hat type cymbal instrument wherein “when one hits the choke it will trigger a sound that is sent to the sound module, so that a computer associated with the sound module will basically tell the sound system to shut off.” The Field set up “includes a trigger system that uses half of the surface area of the cymbal and is attached by nuts and bolts.” A complicated variable resistor riding in a sleeve co-axially with the plunger and clutch mechanism of the hi-hat is required to accomplish the triggering of the Field system.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,323,632, PERCUSSION TRANSDUCER, (Wachter) discloses use of a center-axis piezo transducer mounted between the center mounting hole of a cymbal and a washer along a cymbal mount spindle. The '632 patent specifically teaches away from a non-center-axis located transducer of FIG. 6 due to “making the striking surface unbalanced, thus causing undesired rotation after repetitive strikes.” A FSR-based choke is briefly mentioned as a “pressure sensitive tape switch or . . . FSR . . . attached around the circumference of the striking surface providing a method to ‘choke’ the initial sound triggered by the percussion transducer.”
Thus, there is a need for improved cymbal triggers and chokes associated with full and enjoyable use of cymbal triggers.